Describes Mr Punch's 'Umbrella Rifle', in which he seeks to interest the
newly-formed volunteer force. This weapon enables users to 'shield them[selves]
from a soaking while it provides them with the means of opening a hot fire'. It
consists of an umbrella attached to the rifle muzzle and has been designed to
save uniforms from being damaged by rain and damp soldiers from paying doctors'
bills.
Notes the
House of
CommonsHouse of Commons
CloseView the register entry >> discussion of a bill for 'making Gas Companies behave with
some sort of fairness and honesty'. Despite the tactful defence of gas
companies provided by the statesman
Meaburn
StanilandStaniland, Meaburn
(1809–1867 or after)
Stenton 1976 CloseView the register entry >>, Punch points out that people will still refuse to
believe that 'Companies ought to charge high for bad gas'. (21)
Claiming that this subject is now 'occupying the scientific', reports Mr
Punch's observation that a party of French officials recently travelled a great
distance in a smoke-filled railway carriage. Concludes that those who eat toads
can clearly survive without air.
Puzzled by an advertisement for 'Comfort and the Hydrostatic Paradox', and
suggests that if a coffee-pot is to be styled the 'Hydrostatic Paradox', then a
'roasting-jack' may be 'denominated the Differential Calculus'.
Following an advertisement for a perfume that allegedly improves the memory,
Punch wonders how this can be achieved. Agrees that a pinch of snuff can
'stimulate the power of recollection'. Suggests several uses of this perfume,
including enabling 'the poor washerwoman' to remind herself of the 'fashionable
ladies' who forget to pay her bills, reminding gentlemen of their 'small
commissions or necessary purchases', and reminding candidates at a
Civil ServiceCivil Service
CloseView the register entry >>
examination of the 'cram which they had forgotten'.
Noting the great changes that were supposed to have taken place in 'military
equipment' during the thirteenth century, describes the changes in the military
helmet, and draws attention to its increasingly cumbersome size. Later,
describes the introduction of chain-mail as a replacement for the 'old
flat-ringed form of armour', and the different shields and 'implements of
manslaughter' used during the reign of
Edward IEdward I, King of England and Lord of Ireland and Duke of Aquitaine
(1239–1307)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>. (29) One
illustration shows a figure wearing a massive helmet shaped like a barrel.
Likens the way in which
William E
GladstoneGladstone, William Ewart
(1809–98)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> used the duty on paper to raise revenue to a chemist who
extracts 'medicines from poisonous herbs' (31). Referring to the recent solar
eclipse, claims that the moon passed a resolution that 'the Sun was unworthy of
the confidence of the Earth' and so placed herself between these two celestial
bodies. As the eclipse was only partial, reports on the moon's decision to move
out of the way of the sun. Notes that this event prompted discussion of the
bill for dealing with gas manufacturers who overcharge. (32)
Discusses two reports of spirit manifestations announced in the
Spiritual
MagazineSpiritual Magazine
(1860–77)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >>, which appear to suggest that the 'Spirit Medium and
Clairvoyante'
Louise BessonBesson, Louise
(fl. 1860)
PU1/39/4/2 CloseView the register entry >> was
'astonishing' audiences in two different places at the same time. Questions
whether the aristocratic witnesses to one of these events, when they
complemented Besson 'on her "spirit manifestations"', were congratulating her
'as a witch or an artist'. Following Besson's apparent ability to 'command
spiritual manifestations nearly wherever she pleases', the author asks her to
do so at the Punch office. Turning to other material in the 'credulous'
Spiritual Magazine—which Punch christens 'Giles Scroggins's
Journal' after a poem by
Charles I M
DibdinDibdin, Charles Isaac Mungo
(1768–1833)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> featuring a character of this name (see
Dibdin 1807Dibdin,
Charles 1807. Mirth and Metre: Consisting of Poems, Serious,
Humorous, and Satirical; Songs, Sonnets, Ballads, and Bagatelles, London:
Vernor [and 2 others]
CloseView the register entry >>)—notes the
poor grammar of messages allegedly 'transmitted by a departed spirit through
the hand of a medium', messages which suggest that spirits are like 'most
rogues'. Warns its 'spiritual contemporary' against ridiculing truth and 'that
experiments which cannot be performed except under certain conditions which are
among those of jugglery are inconclusive, and that it is the peculiarity of all
quacks and enthusiasts, whether religious or scientific, to resent derision of
their impostures or delusions'. Draws attention to the Spiritual
Magazine's claim that both
John S Copley (1st Baron
Lyndhurst)Copley, John Singleton, the younger, 1st Baron
Lyndhurst
(1772–1863)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> and
Henry P Brougham (1st
Baron Brougham and Vaux)Brougham, Henry Peter, 1st Baron Brougham and
Vaux
(1778–1868)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> are spiritualists, but points to the
unlikelihood that 'any alleged spiritual manifestation is genuine'.
Discusses some of the 'weapons of offence' used in the reign of
King Edward IEdward I, King of England and Lord of Ireland and Duke of Aquitaine
(1239–1307)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
(including the scimitar and falcastrum), and proceeds to describe the stronger
types of armour developed to withstand these heavier weapons. Explains why a
'greater quantity of plate was worn mixed with chain', which does 'not mean
that knights carried more forks and spoons about them'. (38)
Considering
PunchPunch
(1841–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> the 'first scientific
journal of the day', presents the 'fullest, truest, and the most particular
account' of the recent solar eclipse, exploiting the observations of its
'sharpest-eyed' contributors. Laments the fact that it received written reports
of the eclipse from a drunkard and that the documents contained information
that could have been obtained without the reporter and his 'scientific
co-labourers' venturing to Greenwich. However, notes that the reports will
'show the future
HERSCHELHerschel, Sir John Frederick William
(1792–1871)
DSB
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>' some of the
'strange effects' accompanying the eclipse which were not reported in 'any
other journal'. Presents five spoof reports of these effects. These include
reports by Smith, who linked the eclipse to politicians being 'in the dark'
about the war with China and
William E
Gladstone'sGladstone, William Ewart
(1809–98)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> 'Spirit-Tax', by Tittle, who stated that the 'marked
magnetic variation' during the eclipse caused a 'deviation' in the object of
affection of 'several single gentlemen', and by Walker, who related that Mr
Swizzler announced how much beer he had drunk on being 'urged by a scientific
friend to make a note of what "precipitation of moisture" accompanied the
Eclipse'.
Draws attention to a 'new book' by
Forbes B
WinslowWinslow, Forbes Benignus
(1810–74)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> (probably
Winslow 1860Winslow, Forbes
Benignus 1860. On Obscure Diseases of the Brain, and Disorders of
the Mind: Their Incipient Symptoms, Pathology, Diagnosis, Treatment, and
Prophylaxis, London: John Churchill
CloseView the register entry >>) which
presents cases of the 'beneficial results of accidents', in particular that of
an 'Idiot' who, after receiving 'a violent blow on the head, became a
practising Barrister'. Adds that Mr Punch is now going to be 'very careful'
about indulging in 'his favourite practise of giving idiots a rap on the
head'.
Narcotics, Crime, Medical Practitioners, Measurement
Discusses a case of a 'poor young man' who was indicted for killing his
mother after he mistakenly gave her an overdose of 'hydrocyanic acid' that she
was taking to relieve her sickness. Insists that there was no proof that he had
'given an excessive dose' and is adamant that this is a case of 'culpable
negligence'. Goes on to question why members of the court found it so amusing
to hear a discussion between the judge and a surgeon witness about the
difference between a 'minim' and 'drop' measures of prussic acid.
Discusses the 'patent magnetic brushes and combs'. Explains that there is a
magnet 'enclosed within the back of the brush', which is supposed to treat
greying and thinning hair and other symptoms, including headaches. Adds that
the brush works by leeching the oxide of iron out of the blood and drawing it
into grey hair, which is deficient in iron. Ridicules this idea by suggesting
that readers try to attract black hairs with a magnet. Following the success of
the 'magnetic brush', suggests the 'magnetic nightcap', consisting of a network
of 'magnetic steel wire' which gives the wearer all-night exposure to the
magnetic fluid. Stresses the need to keep the cap in a iron casket during the
day to prevent the loss of magnetism. Boasts that symptoms such as headache and
neuralgia are better treated with the cap than the brush, and that the cap is
accordingly 'invaluable to the gourmand and votary of Bacchus'.
Incorporating into his title the name of the notorious medium,
Daniel D HomeHome, Daniel Dunglas
(1833–86)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, the
author denies the claim of 'Giles Scroggins's Journal, or the
Spiritual
MagazineSpiritual Magazine
(1860–77)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >>' that 'alleged spiritual manifestations' are real.
Reports that one of Mr Punch's reliable friends attended a séance given
by a 'low American' and by two female mediums, the latter being deemed 'rank
impostors'. Denies the Spiritual Magazine's claim that Mr Punch is
'impugning what he knows to be the truth'. Insisting that the spiritualist
periodical 'may believe that it believes in [spirit manifestations] when it
really only wishes to believe them', argues that 'Spiritualists [...] do not
seem to know what scientific demonstration is' because 'if they knew, they
would not expect their miracles to be believed by any but the most ignorant of
the vulgar [...] until performed before competent observers, and subjected
[...] to the test of crucial experiment'. The illustration shows a wizard
peering through a telescope at the hub of a stone wheel, evidently from a
windmill near the top of the picture.
Discusses
John Bright'sBright, John
(1811–89)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
criticism of the government's proposal to fortify English dockyards, criticism
founded on
Joseph
Whitworth'sWhitworth, Sir Joseph, 1st Baronet
(1803–87)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> guarantee that he can fire a shell six miles.
Punch agrees that it would be pointless fortifying arsenals with
'defences that some shell may explode next year', but stresses that should a
new shell not be invented, then the dockyards will be at risk by being
unfortified. Likens Bright's argument to that of not washing your hands because
they will be 'dirty again' tomorrow.
Shows a housemaid standing in a drawing room, in which a table, a broom,
dust-pan, and gloves, levitate above the floor. The caption notes how the
housemaid is now greeted by a table that plays an accordion and wants to shake
hands. Punch emphasizes that these feats, the stock phenomena of
domestic spiritualist séances, can now happen in broad daylight.
Deeming
Daniel D Home'sHome, Daniel Dunglas
(1833–86)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
'flying exploits' to have outdone those of
Robert
Paltock'sPaltock, Robert
(1697–1767)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> fictional character Peter Wilkins, this song describes
some of the dubious feats performed by the medium, ending with the verse
'HOME, HOME, great
HOME—/ There's no case like HOME'.
Among the phenomena described are his 'lift from the spirits', a self-playing
accordion, and dancing tables, but the writer also emphasizes the suspicious
circumstances under which these phenomena are produced. For example, notes that
the accordion will only play 'if you won't look too hard at the works hid
within', that 'you musn't peep under the [séance] table', and that the
phenomena only occur in the house of Home's friend. Concludes by noting that
people will regard spirits as signalling the 'new age of miracles [...] if only
they'll consent to be kept in the dark'. The illustration shows a woman with a
goose's face (to signify her credulity), being crowned with a wreath carried by
spirit hands.
Medical Practitioners, Medical Treatment, Politics
Describes the illnesses of
Sultan
Abd-ul-MedjidAbd-ul-Medjid, Sultan of Turkey
(1823–61)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> of Turkey and
Pope Pius IXPius IX, Pope
(1792–1878)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> who are
being treated by the same French doctor (Emperor Napoleon IIINapoleon III, Emperor of France (originally
Louis Napoléon (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte))
(1808–73)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>) who tells his
patients that 'both must be bled, / And take more steel, by which he swears, /
Exhibited with lead'. The pope and sultan agree that neither the medicine nor
the doctor will help them, and Punch ends by hoping that they could both
'break up quietly, / And leave the world in peace'. The poem is an allegory
reflecting the dire situations of the Vatican and the Ottoman Empire, and
Napoleon's involvement in both.
Discusses the types of armour used during the reign of
King Edward
IIIEdward III, King of England and Lord of Ireland and Duke of Aquitaine
(1312–77)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, notably the increasing use of iron plate in making the armour
worn by soldiers. Draws attention to the use of spiked gauntlets and to the
first use of cannon (in the Battle of Crécy, 1346), a weapon that 'would
now be thought mere popguns' and 'very weak compared with
Armstrong'sArmstrong, Sir William George, Baron
Armstrong of Cragside
(1810–1900)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>'. Adds that when these early
cannons burst, they 'often caused more damage to their own side than the
enemy', and that the Battle of Crécy was won by the superior skill of
the English archers. (68) Illustrations show the armour worn by 'William of
Wimbledon', the gauntlet of 'Sir Thomas de la Marche', and an artilleryman
igniting a cannon during the time of Edward III.
Following the claim in the new
Report from the Select
Committee on LunaticsReport from the Select Committee on
Lunatics: Report from the Select Committee on Lunatics, Together with the
Proceedings of the Committee, Minutes of Evidence, and Appendix, House of
Commons Parliamentary Papers, Session 1860 (495), 22, ???–???
CloseView the register entry >> that one in every 600 persons 'is cracked', seeks
the cracked proportion amongst the 654 members of
ParliamentHouses of Parliament
CloseView the register entry >>.
Describes the existence of some 'unfashionable' people who regard 'the
so-called "manifestations" of
MR.
HOMEHome, Daniel Dunglas
(1833–86)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> and other Spirit-rappers' to be 'merely the
machinations of a conjuror', but thinks that this not a 'fair' opinion.
Emphasizes the dubious conditions under which the 'spirit tricksters [...] do
their chief tricks' including darkness, the presence of believers, and the
exclusion of 'Sceptics like Mr. Punch'. Draws attention to
spiritualists' fear of having their 'clumsy machinery' detected and denies that
mediums can be likened to conjurors such as
Robert HoudinHoudin, Robert
(1805–71)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>,
Ludwig
DöblerDöbler, Ludwig
(1801–64)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>, and
Wiljalba
FrikellFrikell, Wiljalba
(1818–1903)
RLIN CloseView the register entry >>.
Shows a drawing room in which disembodied white 'spirit' hands have attached
themselves to various objects and have animated them: for example, a bottle
plays a piano using 'spirit' hands, disembodied hands dance with chairs, play
musical instruments, and turn the piano music.
Punch, 39 (1860), 77.
Singular if True (An Extract from the Note-book of a Spiritualist
Enthusiast)
Opens by anticipating ridicule for the 'fearfully appalling facts' which the
author is about to describe, facts which 'sceptics will regard as merely
optical delusions' and therefore as inconsequential. Attacks scepticism as 'the
common characteristic of the English people' and those 'too lazy to submit to
be converted' by 'savans and philosophers' whom the public regard as
'charlatans and quacks' but who have detected 'novel wonders'. Confesses to
believing in 'all the mysteries of spirit-rapping' and the 'science' of
table-turning, and that, since coming to 'years of gin-discretion', he has had
'almost daily acquaintance with spirits'. Proceeds to relate an account of his
'last spiritual intercourse' in which he described how a dead bloater that he
was about to eat, suddenly wagged its tail under the apparent influence of
spirits. Having asked his friend to act as his medium with the fish, the fish
raised itself up on its tail, told its life story, and then sang. Ends by
denying his friend's accusation that he was suffering from an earlier debauch
and from hallucination. The illustration shows a man starting at a dinner
plate, above which floats a speaking fish.
Expresses no surprise at Mr Punch's scepticism towards 'the mysteries of
Spirit-rapping', but attacks him for adopting a position of 'lazy
disbelief' towards spiritualism, for turning 'a deaf ear to the truths
which are rapped out of our tables', and for regarding the raising of a
'spiritual enthusiast' to the ceiling as the 'height of imposition'. Admits
that Mr Punch does not cram his scepticism 'down the public throat', because in
articles describing the 'spirit-conversation of the Bloater and the Rapper'
(see
Audi Alteram Partem, ''Is There any Sperrits Present?'', Punch, 39 (1860), 101–02), he gave readers 'some knowledge of
the wonders that are working, and gave them a fair chance of conversion to our
faith'. Attempts to convince Mr Punch that the fish in the article can talk,
sing, fly, and swim. In support of these claims, the author refers to the
recently deceased 'Talking Fish', and the testimony of
James E
TennentTennent, Sir James Emerson, 1st Baronet
(1804–69)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> (also a noted séance-goer) and
Dr AdamsAdams, Dr
(fl. 1860)
PU1/39/9/1 CloseView the register entry >> in favour
of singing fish. She considers this testimony by 'naturalists' to be 'quite as
strange as the tales of the supernaturalists'. Questions why Mr Punch
believes in the singing fish of Ceylon reported by these naturalists, but not
those in England, adding that
William
ShakespeareShakespeare, William
(1564–1616)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> supported the existence of the fish by speaking of
'calling spirits from the "vasty deep"'. Concludes by telling Mr Punch that if
he persists in doubting whether a 'herring can be heard by a person who is
under the influence of spirits'then she will box his ears.
This song, written from the perspective of a black person, is a response to
the spiritualistic feats of
Daniel D HomeHome, Daniel Dunglas
(1833–86)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>. He
reveals how he learnt 'de dodge' of teaching the table to 'jump Jim Crow' by
moving 'de knee beneath', and that 'De spirit-hand' is made of 'Of wax or wood
[...] And by phosph'rus light displayed'. Expresses grave reservations about
the medium's alleged 'floatin' in de air', especially because witnesses 'dowse
de gas' and observe the phenomenon in the darkness. Concludes by anticipating
that if a child were to take a 'spirit lamp' to the 'Spirit-movin'
sight' he would cast 'some light upon de subject'.
Speculates on the uses of a 'gridiron' which is being prepared for the
reception of the
SS Great
EasternSS Great Eastern CloseView the register entry >>. Plays on the culinary meaning of the word: for
example, hopes that the ship will not be 'hauled over the coals again' and
thinks it might be used to give shareholders of the enterprise a chance to see
'their stake slowly done'.
Statistics, Amusement, Mathematics, Machinery, Music
Argues that England has so many actors that 'MR.
BABBAGE'sBabbage, Charles
(1792–1871)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> calculating machine would certainly be
brought to a stand-still, as effectually as though an Italian organ-grinder was
standing away outside, if called upon to give an account of them all'.
Argues that, given the extraordinary movements of furniture caused by
spirits, 'great pains should be taken to avoid the chance of accidents
resulting from its [i.e. furniture] getting into an excited state'. Noting the
observations of 'living witnesses', who use their eyes but not their 'common
sense [...] to test the "truths" to which they testify', expresses concern
about the effect of leaving a family in the presence of 'strange furniture'. To
secure the 'peace of mind of parents', suggests that furniture dealers will
have to make sure their wares are 'warranted as sound and safe from spirits'.
Adds that 'while the Spirit mania lasts', precautions will also have to be
taken with bedroom furniture which will also need to be certified as free from
spirits.
Laments a report revealing that a 'certain Railway company' pays its lawyers
an extortionate salary. Notes that owing to 'the numerous Railway collisions',
railways are 'always running to law' and have been more profitable to lawyers
than engineers. Proceeds to attack the way in which a lawyer's financial
interest in a railway line continues long after 'the Engineer finished his
line'. Concludes by contending that 'Railways were established in this country
for the special emolument of Lawyers and Directors'.
Draws attention to the abuse which Mr Punch has received in the
Spiritual
MagazineSpiritual Magazine
(1860–77)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> for 'deriding and denying the wonderful facts of
Spiritualism!'. Notes that the conflict between the 'Spiritualist and the
Scoffer' was anticipated in the nursery rhyme, 'High diddle diddle'. Insists
that the rhyme is a 'covert' attack on spiritualism: for example, it interprets
'The Cat and the Fiddle, / The Cow jumped over the Moon' as 'ribaldry' meaning:
'the alleged fact of spirit-fiddling is as improbable as the legendary relation
that a certain ruminant quadruped overleapt the satellite of this planet'.
Concludes by assuring Mr Punch that he 'will live to believe in Spiritualism
[...] as
DR.
LARDNERLardner, Dionysius
(1793–1859)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> lived to see the Atlantic crossed by
steamers'. (101)
Discusses the attempt by some descendants of
James CookCook, James
(1728–79)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> to raise
money for a monument to 'that distinguished man'. Argues that Cook needs no
monument since every inhabitant and animal in the South Sea islands 'is a
figure in COOK's monument', and any other monument will 'fall
far below this'.
Thinks the 'Spirit-rapping mania may be a moral disease' but may possess a
'material aspect' insofar as it 'may be considered as a species of
imposthume'—an allusion to the medium
Daniel D HomeHome, Daniel Dunglas
(1833–86)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>.
Discusses a report in
Once a WeekOnce a Week
(1859–80)
Waterloo Directory
CloseView the register entry >>
of a 'young lady' afflicted with 'A Double Memory': a 'two-fold state' in which
the sufferer was 'as ignorant as a Member of Parliament' one day, and extremely
'accomplished' the next. Thinks this state of being 'alternately a child and a
lady' has 'certain advantages', insofar as it allows people to fancy themselves
as children and to forget their debts.
Addressed to the well-known Punch character, Jeames, the fictional
letter writer complains about the dullness of London 'out of season' and
reports that in trying to find 'how the time to parse away', he and his friends
have 'turned' to 'Table-Turnin'. Explains that during one spirit 'swarry' in
his 'privit room', the table 'mysteerously did move', although 'it might are
seemed mysteerius if adn't give a shove'. The 'Mejum' then asked the question
'His theer any speerits present', which was followed by 'a rappin' and the
'Sperrit' of the narrator's 'Great Grandma' who 'didn't no er name', refused to
say where she lived, and wrongly said her son (the author) was dead. Later the
spirit gave another false piece of information, which caused the table to rise,
a phenomenon which the medium attributed to angry spirits, but which a boy at
the séance linked to the 'shovin and pushink' of the medium. Later in
the séance, the spirits agreed to 'shake ands' only if the lights were
extinguished, which the author used as an opportunity to kiss his beloved Jane.
Concludes by reflecting on the 'spiritmovin game' as a means of 'kissink'.
After discussing the problem of street musicians, especially on people with
'fine minds' who also have 'fine nerves', discusses the deleterious effect of
such musicians on the progress of writers, and then turns to
Charles
BabbageBabbage, Charles
(1792–1871)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>, who has wasted much of his life suffering from these
'miscreants'. Discusses the recent legal case concerning Babbage and street
musicians, which centred on the claim that Babbage's neighbours had been
encouraging them to play under his windows. Imagines the pain which this must
have caused Babbage, the 'Enraged Mathematician', but notes that what is 'play'
to his tormentors is 'death to his desk labours'. Believing that for men like
Babbage, 'time [...] is money', then those who steal his time should be
punished for theft. Adds that his tormentors should be condemned to solitary
confinement where they will suffer the sounds of their own instruments.
Discusses an attempt by a 'Roman Catholic Priest' to produce the miracle of
the 'sweating' of a picture 'meant for the Virgin', a 'hoax' which the author
hopes will be exposed, as well at the bleeding statue of
St
JanuariusJanuarius, Saint (or San Gennaro)
(d. c. 305)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>.
Miracle, Supernaturalism, Physiology, Religious Authority, Politics,
Nationalism
Urges the 'holy knaves' who 'knelt' in 'stupid adoration' of the alleged
bleeding of the statue of
St
JanuariusJanuarius, Saint (or San Gennaro)
(d. c. 305)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>, whose 'simulated gore' wrongly 'melts when hot, congeals
when cold', to 'behold' a 'great miracle'—that of
Giuseppe
Garibaldi'sGaribaldi, Giuseppe
(1807–82)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> restoration of 'Liberty' to Italy, a country which has
suffered 'blood and tears', but which now bleeds and weeps for joy.
Miracle, Supernaturalism, Religious Authority, Politics
In conjunction with
Anon, 'The Saint and the Hero', Punch, 39 (1860), 114, this illustration depicts a
frightened-looking monk carrying two allegedly miraculous artefacts—a
bottle containing the blood of
St
JanuariusJanuarius, Saint (or San Gennaro)
(d. c. 305)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> and a 'Winking Picture'—but who, in obedience to
Giuseppe
GaribaldiGaribaldi, Giuseppe
(1807–82)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> (who stands behind him), is stepping off the edge of a
cliff.
Insisting that 'Ladies ought to be fine logicians' since they have 'a
perfect mastery over the premises', the female author explains that 'Logic
teaches us to train our mental faculties', thus enabling us to 'draw from safe
premises a safe conclusion'. Divides 'mental operations' into 'simple
apprehension, judgment, and discourse or reasoning', each of which the author
illustrates with the example of a gentleman's hat becoming entrapped in a
lady's hoop. Stresses that all arguments are reducible to a syllogism, which
she illustrates with the example of a conflict between a husband and wife over
the former's habit of smoking cigars. Other dubious examples include, 'All men
are heartless. / A Parrot is not a Man. / A Parrot, therefore, is not
heartless'. Goes on to give domestic and equally questionable illustrations of
'Reasoning in a circle', 'suppressio veri', and 'suggestio
falsi'.
Miracle, Supernaturalism, Chemistry, Experiment, Physiology, Religious
Authority, Religion, Faith, Heterodoxy
Written from the perspective of an Irish Catholic priest, who warns
St BridgetBirgitta, Saint
(1303–73)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>
that the 'Holy Church look mighty solemn and sarious' owing to
The Times'sThe Times
(1777–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >>
suggestion of putting a 'phial' of
St
Januarius'sJanuarius, Saint (or San Gennaro)
(d. c. 305)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> blood 'on chemical trial'—a test, prompted by the
alleged liquefaction of the blood of the saint on 19 September 1860, which the
author considers a 'haythin iniquity'. Insists that the Roman Catholic Church
wants to show 'it own' the 'clot turnin' liquid, widout foire to melt it', but
that 'the miracle wanted to make sinners daunted, / Is the clot's keepin' hard,
till their hard hearts have felt it'. Thinks that those 'heretics' who believe
that the blood melts only because the 'priest's hand warms the phial' should be
left to 'prache' and protests that 'our Saints won't have heretics put 'em on
trial'.
Relishes the government's decision to refuse to provide metal for a proposed
statue to the memory of
John FranklinFranklin, Sir John
(1786–1847)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>,
who has already 'made for himself' a 'monument more durable than brass'. Uses
this as a basis for a detailed attack on modern statues, which the writer
considers a 'disgrace and an insult' to the heroes and statesmen that they
celebrate. Draws attention to the inability of contemporary sculptors to
represent modern garments and criticises the fact that post-classical figures
never look 'statuesque'. Points out that although Franklin was a 'gallant
commander', he was also 'a stout middle-aged man' whose statue would be 'a
grievous eyesore'.
Military Technology, Scientific Practitioners, Accidents
Discussing a report that sailors 'have had their thumbs blown off' after
using them to stop the vent in a cannon, urges that 'some scientific engineer'
should be invited to devise a use for the vent.
Reporting the inaccuracy of the telegram announcing the death of
Emperor
Napoleon IIINapoleon III, Emperor of France (originally
Louis Napoléon (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte))
(1808–73)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> of France, considers 'electric wires' to 'tell such
stories, that any astounding message transmitted by them will soon come to be
called an electric Tell-a-cram'.
Punch, 39 (1860), 130.
A Glass that will not bear the Morning's Reflection
Discusses the case of 'a poor American' who 'patented a glass in which a man
can see himself as plainly as others can see him', but because nobody looking
in the glass recognized his own image, the inventor failed to sell a 'single
specimen'. Adds that the inventor is now trying to invent a 'glass that
flatters', an invention with which he hopes to 'realise a considerable
fortune'.
Notes the 'silly' stories about the 'DAVENPORT boys' (a
reference to the brothers
William H H
DavenportDavenport, William Henry Harrison
(1841–77)
WBI CloseView the register entry >> and
Ira E
DavenportDavenport, Ira Erastus
(1839–1911)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>, who were both mediums) 'copied' from 'the Yankee organ of
Spiritualism', the
Herald of
ProgressSpiritual Telegraph
(1852–60)
Herald of Progress
(1860–64)
BUCOP CloseView the register entry >>, by the
Spiritual
MagazineSpiritual Magazine
(1860–77)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >>. Proceeds to discuss the 'Hat-moving'
phenomenon—the request for subscriptions—exhibited by the latter
periodical. Denies wishing to damage the 'pecuniary interests' of the
Spiritual Magazine, and argues that, if quoting the journal's request
for subscriptions adds to its circulation, Punch will have 'rendered a
small service to struggling writers of fiction'.
Discusses an argument made in the
Spiritual
MagazineSpiritual Magazine
(1860–77)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> that it is 'pleased to have Punch as an enemy
rather than as a friend, for he is doing good to the cause by making it more
extensively known'. Believes this illustrates that the 'Spiritualist mind [...]
does not reason', and points out that if Punch did support 'such humbugs
as the Spiritualists [...] his circulation and his character would be injured'.
Agrees with the Spiritual Magazine that Punch has helped the
'Spiritualist cause' by exposing 'the trickery by which it is supported'.
Arguing that spiritualists 'might have many more disciples—or shall we
call them dupes?—if they did not themselves take such pains to repel
them', turns to one of spiritualism's 'simpletons',
Asaph B ChildChild, Asaph Bermis
(1813–79)
RLIN CloseView the register entry >>,
whose book (Child 1860Child, Asaph
Bernius 1860. Whatever is, is Right, Boston: Berry, Colby and
Company
CloseView the register entry >>)
Punch attacks. The author maintains that the title of the work affirms
'that a liar is a natural necessity' and accordingly shows why 'no Spiritualist
would shrink from trickery and fraud in order to encourage a belief in a false
faith'. Considers Child's claim that, in spiritualist ethics, 'Murder has no
influence upon the soul', to be contrary to the Bible and also 'insane'.
Expresses no surprise at Child's apparent claim that intuition, rather than
philosophy or 'external teachings', make a spiritualist (which prompts
Punch to note that no philosophers, 'from
PLATOPlato
(428–348/7 BC)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> down to
Mr. Punch', became spiritualists). Concludes by wondering how far Child's
dubious system of ethics can be reconciled with a writer in the
Spiritual
MagazineSpiritual Magazine
(1860–77)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> who claimed that spiritualism is an 'influence' that
can 'raise man, body, mind and soul' to a position higher than that of the
poet.
Thinks an advertisement for bed-candles made 'to burn half an hour only' was
intended to stop 'young ladies of a sentimental turn' spending 'half the night'
performing such 'silly suspirations' as combing their hair and 'reading trash
in bed', which Punch thinks 'girls' are 'addicted' to and leads to 'dim
eyes and pallid cheeks'.
Discusses
Joseph Bond'sBond, Joseph
(fl. 1888)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>
proposal that 'ten per cent upon the Derby and Oaks Stakes at Epsom should be
annually divided among six of the London Hospitals'. This discussion plays on
the equestrian connotations of such terms as ''ospitals' and 'stable
institutions'.
Presents a report from its 'Ramsgate Correspondent' who describes the
desertion of the seaside town, and observes that the few remaining visitors
'move about with all the air of melancholy maniacs' and 'run the risk of being
carried off to private madhouses, and clapped in strait waistcoats'. Adding to
the sense of desertion are the flies that have 'flown away, or else are
hibernating in the back slums' and the riding horses that have 'returned to
their normal occupations [...] drawing bakers' carts, or working in a circus'.
Concludes by noting that some cats are the 'only beasts of prey left
preyable'.
Reports on the cleaner and more voluminous appearance of the 'Ornamental
Water' in
St James's
ParkSt James's Park
CloseView the register entry >>, a stretch of water inhabited by several healthy looking ducks
and other aquatic birds.
Spiritualism, Medical Treatment, Belief, Mental Illness
In a spoof advertisement, the 'Editor of the
Spiritual
MagazineSpiritual Magazine
(1860–77)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >>' presents testimonials in support of 'the famous
Spirit-Rapping Ointment'. Judaeus Apeller reveals that applying the ointment,
unlike swallowing the blood of
St
JanuariusJanuarius, Saint (or San Gennaro)
(d. c. 305)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> and the 'Winking Picture', cured him of 'incredulity' and
enabled him to 'believe anything'. Adipose Glubb reports that he applied the
ointment to a table that caused him to laugh and eventually fall asleep, an
effect which has worked on the rest of his family. Mrs Mephibosheth Barnes
reveals that the ointment has cured her son of 'any over-zeal in his studies',
while Wilderness Lodge thanks the 'Editor of the Spiritual Magazine' for
the ointment which he administered to his daughters who have consequently lost
their troublesome interest in 'dances, operas, parties, stage-plays'. Margaret
Sninckle warns of the dangers of excessive use of the ointment, following the
physical pain suffered by her husband who became addicted to the ointment.
Finally, Barnabas Toddlekins reports that the ointment has successfully driven
his wife away.
Describes the 'fanciful' armour worn by knights during the period of
King Henry VIHenry VI, King of England and Lord of Ireland and Duke of Aquitaine
(1421–71)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>,
drawing attention to the defensive iron breast-plates and back-plates, aprons
of chain-mail, the helmet with a newly-added 'bascinet or scull-cap', and 'a
steel cap called a casquetel' on top of which is fixed a spike called a
'crenel'. Goes on to describe the use of spurs with extraordinarily long
shanks, and of 'the hand-cannon or "gonne"', a weapon regarded as a distant
ancestor of 'our exploded Brown Bess'. Attributes the merits of the 'gonne' to
the Italians and goes on to explain its advantageous firing mechanism.
Concludes by noting that the weapon was useful for 'human slaughter' and
'sportsmen'. The illustrations depict a suit of armour from the time of Henry
VI, 'Military Shoes' with extraordinarily long spurs, and a figure struggling
with the portable 'gonne' cannon.
Requests 'many other Men of War in Armour' besides the mail-clad
HMS
WarriorHMS Warrior CloseView the register entry >>. Lamenting the passing of the 'Wooden Walls of Old
England' (wooden-hulled ships), notes that 'Ribs of steel are our ships, /
Engineers are our men', and that 'steam frigates and rams' are now needed to
compete with 'the French' whose 'iron-bound vessels' can 'very soon send a
three-decker full of men to the bottom'. Anticipates a day when even these
'Ironside of the Ocean' will be superseded.
Noting the astonishing abilities of 'your Spiritualist' to see into the
future, asks 'any sharp-sighted Spiritualist' when 'the Guards' Memorial (which
has been going on from time immemorial) is likely to be completed'.
Defines a 'Table of Contents' as 'A Table that answers to every rap of the
Spiritualist' or 'moves according to the desires of the fools that are circled
around it'.
Narcotics, Medical Treatment, Adulteration, Government
Praises
Samuel WarrenWarren, Samuel
(1807–77)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>,
the author of
Warren 1832Warren, Samuel
1832. Passages from the Diary of a Late Physician With Notes and
Illustrations by the Editor, 2 vols, Edinburgh: W. Blackwood
CloseView the register entry >>, for drawing
attention to new legislation on poisoning in his 'address to the Grand Jury'.
Warren pointed out that the parliamentary act will impose 'penal servitude or
imprisonment' on anybody 'unlawfully and maliciously administering' poisons,
legislation which Punch thinks should cause 'dealers in adulterated
food' to be on their guard. Explains that if such people sell poisonous food
they will be 'liable to an indictment for felony' or face a jury who may decide
that they caused injury intentionally. Warns publicans and wine sellers of the
same penalty.
Discusses an extract from 'a Yankee print' (probably an American
spiritualist newspaper), which claims that since 'Greatness among man is alone
a property of the sensuous world' and does not extend beyond the material
world, then we have no right to claim that the spirits of great men should be
'a whit greater than the spirits of their washerwomen and scavengers'. Infers
that the spirits of great men are illiterate because 'wisdom and good language
are material possessions', but thinks this argument will only satisfy those who
credit 'what Spiritualists state'.
Notes that the only way of disabling such French vessels as
La GloireLa Gloire, ship CloseView the register entry >> is to
'foul her screw'. Therefore expects the 'next invention in naval warfare' to be
a 'Screw Fouler'. Wonders whether the
AdmiraltyAdmiralty
CloseView the register entry >> will 'get
the want supplied, or leave the French Marine to make another discovery
involving one more "reconstruction of the Navy"'.
Darwinism, Evolution, Human Development, Animal Behaviour,
Extinction
This is the first article in Punch to deal directly with Charles
Darwin and his theory of evolution by means of natural selection. Intended for
an audience at the Social Science Congress, this spoof address opens by
claiming that 'nine happy couples out of every ten are influenced' by 'the new
Theory of Unnatural Selection', pointing out that what 'tends strongly to
confirm our friend's [Darwin's] ingenious hypothesis', is the large number of
mismatched couples. Examples of such mismatching and the principle of 'Like
selects Unlike' include short husbands with tall wives. Insists that the 'fixed
principle in nature' which is responsible for this is that men first make an
apparently 'unnatural selection' of 'parties as dissimilar as can be to
themselves', which propagate a 'Variety of species, both personal and mental'.
Explains that 'philosophy and science both dispose us to contentment with our
singly blessed state' and help us understand that mismatches may be more
apparent than real. Warns that 'Natural Selection' does not necessarily lead to
'Improvement of Species' because, if people were 'unnaturally select in their
selections' of partners, then 'the world would get so wise and good that there
would really be little pleasure left in it'. 'Unnatural Selection', it adds,
leads to folly which provides delight for those of 'refined and cultivated
intellects', whilst natural selection would lead to the unpalatable result of
the extinction of 'simpletons and snobs', and of Punch.
Discusses a letter to the
Morning
PostMorning Post and Daily Advertising Pamphlet
(1772–1900+)
Waterloo Directory
CloseView the register entry >> concerning a 'German Jew' who falsely represented himself
as a surgeon to
Giuseppe
GaribaldiGaribaldi, Giuseppe
(1807–82)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>, but who lost the medical instruments entrusted to him.
Focuses on the fact that, for libel reasons, the German's name was not given.
Also argues that a 'nominal exposure' of a 'rogue' will not 'prevent him from
setting up in London as an advertising quack'. Imagines how the quack would
'carry on a noisome and extortionate practice' under a false name. Concludes
that it is 'useless as well as [...] dangerous, to denounce these blackguards
personally', a group of people who can easily be distinguished from the 'decent
and respectable part of mankind' by their eyes, noses, lips, and jewellery.
Punch, 39 (1860), 188.
Sharks on the South Coast (A Study from St Harold's.) To Mr
Punch
Observes that sharks are not confined to tropical seas, and that visitors to
south coast resorts can sometimes see dead specimens exhibited by fishermen
when caught in the herring nets. Draws parallels between the sea shark and the
'land-shark', being the avaricious lodging house keeper. Reports that the sea
shark he recently saw at the resort of St Harold's was a 'fine specimen of the
Chondropterygian family', and a member of the 'Squalidae', and notes
that the St Harold's land-shark is likewise 'eminently "squalid"'. Noting
stories about the enormous appetites of sea-sharks, observes that the
'land-shark' has an 'extraordinary relish for condiments'. Thinks that unlike
sea-sharks, with which it shares large jaws and 'an insatiable stomach', the
'land-shark' possesses a bill that suggests that it should be classified as the
'Ornithorhyncus paradoxus'. Notes that he had contemplated presenting
readers with the 'bill' that he had 'extracted from my land-shark' but decided
against it when he realised that 'every paterfamilias who has soujourned on the
South Coast' could 'parallel' his specimen. Goes on to describe the adulterated
food which he, 'a struggling paterfamilias', ate, owing to the fact that
the lodging house was above a grocer's shop.
Discusses an extract from an article describing the return of salmon to the
River Thames, due to the 'partial purifying' of the river. Ponders the
surprising connection between salmon and main drainage, but expresses delight
that the Thames is being drained and anticipates a new interest in fishing.
Punch, 39 (1860), 189.
Important Questions, Which any Spiritualist of Forty-Table Power would
Oblige us Exceedingly by Answering
Noting that tradesmen are taking 'leaves' out of the books of
'table-turners, and other conjurors and wizards', discusses an advertisement
for a 'Patent Coffee Pot' that allegedly makes tea or coffee within a 'few
minutes', simply by pouring water on an 'inverted lid'. Thinks that these
coffee pots cannot be 'too widely known' and seeks to guarantee this by noting
it in Punch. Concludes that it may 'influence the Government in their
dealings with Chinamen to learn that tea can be made without the need of
tea-leaves'.
Punch, 39 (1860), 200.
A Rise in Bread-Stuffs!—Effects of Eating Aërated Bread
Shows 'Poor Cocker' and his family floating helplessly near the
ceiling of their parlour, which, as the caption reveals, took place when they
consumed 'Aërated Bread'.
Shows an old man sitting at his desk by a window through which can be seen
the moon. The man, surrounded by observational notebooks, looks at the moon
through a table-top telescope, but a boy, who stands on the old man's chair,
dangles a star-shaped object in front of the instrument.
Notes that an 'action for damages' has been brought for 'turn-tables'
supplied to a railway company. Admitting that it mistook this for the 'rotary
instruments' of the 'Spirit-rappers', asks spiritualists whether
King ArthurArthur, real or legendary King of Britain
(fl. in or before 6th century)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> and his
knights 'were in the habit' of turning their tables, and whether they will
allow table-turning to be called 'a round game' and 'Spirit-rapping, the
rapacious sums that are rapped out of fools'—'cribbage'.
Shows two men in a drawing room, one of whom has just opened a box
containing a snake, whilst the other tells him to not 'injure the creature,
as it's a very fine specimen of a full-grown lively viper'.
Noting a proposal by 'some ladies' to 'found a refuge for poor dogs',
discusses an extract from the
Western
TimesWestern Times
(1829–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> describing the establishment, by the wealthy
Mark G K RolleRolle, Mark George Kerr
(1835–1907)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>,
of some luxurious and well-equipped kennels for dogs. The extract reveals that
the kennels have 'an hospital, granaries [...] an abundant supply of
fresh-water at every point', playgrounds, and dwellings that 'are clean, warm,
and well ventilated'. Expects readers to exclaim 'Happy dogs!' and praises
Rolle for 'doing what no other man that we have ever heard of has ever done, or
wished to do'. Anticipates that Rolle will establish similar facilities for his
labourers.
Punch, 39 (1860), 227.
The Baby in the House. By POVENTRY
CATMORE, Author of 'Angel in the House',
&c.,
Medical Practitioners, Human Development, Nutrition
Includes a doctor's warm response to a new-born baby, a child that
considered him 'jolly raw', but then the doctor 'viewed the crimson thing, /
And listened to its doleful squeal, / And rather wished the nurse would bring /
The pap-boat with its earliest meal'.
Noting the existence of societies 'devoted to the mysteries of a
séance', the author explains that he is an 'auctioneer and broker' of
tables, and asks why 'a committee of brokers should not be called to give
evidence as to their belief in the disposition of tables to turn', and thus to
decide whether spirits 'affect tables above all other articles'. Hopes that the
'tables are turned' on the spiritualists if they 'don't give some satisfactory
reason' for their beliefs. Warns that the 'matter is getting to be serious'
because people are refusing to buy tables owing to their history of
'turning'.
Criticises an advertisement in the
Journal of the Society of
ArtsJournal of the Society of Arts
(1852–76)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> from an artist whose name is fictionalized as 'BENJAMIN
BOUNCE'. Questions the credibility of the artist, wondering 'under what
physician, and in what dissecting-room' he obtained the 'scientific knowledge
of external anatomy' that gives him 'confidence in soliciting patronage'.
Regards the reign of
King Richard
IIIRichard III, King of England and Lord of Ireland
(1452–85)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> as 'the climax of a period of slaughter', when such crude
techniques as 'shooting, stabbing, spearing' and 'sticking' were used. Views
the present age as 'having the advantage of appliances a million-fold more
deadly' than the 'spears and swords, and the matchlocks of the fifteenth
century'. Describes the 'extravagant' plate armour of Richard III's time,
armour notable for its huge shoulder-plates and 'pointed elbow-pieces'. Later
describes the continued use of the 'salade' helmet and 'steel sollerets' foot
armour. (238)
Urges that, however 'sceptical we may be on the subject of ghosts', when an
apparition is 'authenticated by evidence taken before a Magistrate', then the
evidence must be given 'its due weight'. Discusses a legal case in which a
ship's mate claims to have seen the 'human form' of a black steward on ship,
eighteen days after he was believed to have fallen overboard and perished.
Notes how other members of the crew (including the helmsman and a Newfoundland
dog) were terrified by the sight. Suggests that such an occurrence might be
explained by 'Indisposition' while 'mental contagion [...] would afford a
possible, if not a satisfactory explanation of the transference of the mate's
hallucination' to the helmsman. Dismissing the 'evidence of their senses',
considers the astonishing reaction of the dog that apparently jumped overboard
in terror for no reason—the steward had not perished but concealed
himself in a 'bread-locker'. Punch thinks that this story 'casts great
discredit on the evidence' of dogs. Notes that the steward had the impudence to
summon the ship's captain to a police court in order to obtain his wages.
Concludes by suspecting that the dog intuited the steward's impudent character
and 'threw himself overboard in a paroxysm of canine madness'.
Homeopathy, Commerce, Medical Practitioners, Health
Pondering the possibility that homeopathic doctors are 'homeopathic in their
fees', favours visiting a homeopath rather than an allopath during any future
illness, and thus avoiding the 'wondrously long bills' run up by doctors.
Discusses a recent legal case revealing the extortionate fees charged by a
surgeon for mere attendance, but excluding the cost of pills. Concludes that
this makes 'one instinctively determined to do all within one's power to keep
oneself in health'.
Race, Human Species, Anatomy, Politics, Medical
Practitioners
Puzzled by a paragraph in
The TimesThe Times
(1777–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >>
announcing a meeting of 'Southern [United States] medical students' in New York
who resolved to return to the south because of
Abraham
Lincoln'sLincoln, Abraham
(1809–65)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> anti-slavery legislation. Urges that medical students 'Of
all men in the world' should appreciate, from anatomy, that there is 'no
essential difference between white men and black men' while physiology teaches
that 'niggers are men and women'. Thinks that these students' hostility to the
idea of the 'humanity of coloured men' might be due to their view that such
people are 'better subjects than monkeys' for 'dissection'.
Anticipates with much relish the range of diseases associated with winter,
including influenza, jaundice, and asthma. The chorus enjoys the possibility of
the increased demand for 'physic for some throttles', while the last verse
notes the money-making diseases associated with other seasons.
Disease, Human Development, Amusement, Medical Practitioners,
Commerce
Includes a discussion of a physician's letter to
The TimesThe Times
(1777–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> that
warns of the fatal diseases that a child can catch while being wheeled about
the streets in perambulators during the 'most inclement weather'. Observes that
these diseases 'must be advantageous to the doctors' and that it is 'very
liberal of a physician to publish them'.
Spiritualism, Narcotics, Language, Cultural Geography
Noting that 'thanks to Punch, the Spiritualists have found their
occupation gone in London', discusses the chances of them succeeding in
Scotland. Expects that 'a party of cool, cautious, calculating Scotchmen' would
consider table-turning to be a 'waste of time'. However, suggests that Scotland
is 'under the influence of spirits', citing in evidence its large consumption
of spirits, cases of 'second sight or persons who see double', spirits being
'called from the vasty deep of whiskey-cellars', and spirits being raised by 'a
common piece of glass' (in comparison with
John Dee'sDee, John
(1527–1608)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> 'Magic
Crystal').
Military Technology, War, Invention, Progress, Patronage
Notes the lack of 'novelty' in 'military equipment' during the reigns of
King Henry VIIHenry VII, King of England and Lord of Ireland
(1457–1509)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
and
King Henry IVHenry IV, King of England and Lord of Ireland and Duke of Aquitaine
(1366–1413)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>.
Explains that Henry VII's reign witnessed the use of fluted armour and
'passe-gardes' (armour for protecting the wearer against lances), helmets
'provided with flexible and overlapping plates or ribs of steel', and other
additions to the armour. (248) Later notes that this period also witnessed the
introduction of the 'arquebus', a form of hand-cannon having a 'lock with a
cock to hold the match', which was slow to be adopted—a feature
suggesting that 'the military authorities were not much quicker then than now
in adopting innovations'. Explains that the first Yeomen of the Guard were
armed with bows and firearms, a situation which Punch thinks resembles
the present army's use of rifles and the Brown Bess, although admitting that
fifteenth-century firearms were 'scarcely an improvement on the bow'.